Midday found all the cats slowly walking back toward the village. Not wanting to put any extra strain on the recovering cats, they made the walk a slow stroll. Baxter carried Pounce and Rowdy, and the other healthy cats carried the extra blankets and supplies.
“It’s going to be quite a surprise when Del and Vitto come home to a full house,” Taniki said, walking close to Kyron.
“We could just wait and see their surprise,” Kyron replied, “but I think Star’s idea of meeting them out on the trail to give them a ‘soft’ warning would be a better way to handle it.”
“Well, she could just say that no one was seriously hurt, and everything is being taken care of,” Taniki said.
Giving him a gentle hug, avoiding his injuries, “That way we could save ‘our’ surprise for when they see us.”
“What do you think, Star?” Kyron asked. “Are you good with that?”
“I like that idea,” she grinned. “I’m taking Stony with me, but I’ll make sure he knows not to say too much.”
“I think you’re enjoying this, Star,” Taniki laughed.
“I think you’re right,” Star replied.
Once Kyron, Taniki, and the kids were settled at Kyron’s parents’ home, Star took off to find Stony.
“Hey, Stone man, are you up for a trip?” she called when she saw him.
“I’m packed and ready, Star baby,” he replied. “Jax told me what you had in mind.”
“Let’s grab a bite to eat while I throw a pack together,” she said. “Then we can hit the trail.”
Walking through the village, they saw that the ‘build crew’ cats were making good progress cleaning up the shell of the cook house.
They stopped to talk to Juni and Breezy. “What are you doing with all this burned stuff?” Star asked, surveying the blackened debris. “It’d be quite a mess if you just dumped it in the woods.”
“Well, any wood that can’t be salvaged,” Juni said, “we’ll burn in the fire pit. Or maybe a big bonfire, but we’re pretty shy of big fires, so maybe not. The ash from the burned thatch, we’re going to collect for use in the community waste pit. No use using our supply of lime if the ash will work just as well.”
“When we get all that stuff cleared out, we’ll use sandstone to get rid of the char on the log walls,” Breezy added. “Who knows, maybe we’ll paint them. Brighten things up a bit.”
“And when I get back,” Stony said, “I’ll be building some new tables and benches.”
“We’ll let you get back to work,” Star said, turning away. “We’ve got things to do and places to go.”
Late afternoon of the next day, Star stopped, listening. “That’s them, I recognize my mom’s voice.”
Grabbing Stony’s hand, she pulled him into the bushes. “Hide! When they go by, we’ll sneak up behind them and act like we’ve been there all along.”
“Yeah, but what…” Stony started to say when Star grabbed him, kissing him to keep him quiet.
It would have worked if they hadn’t forgotten what they were doing.
When they looked up, Star’s mother and the other cats were looking down at them.
“Care to explain what you’re doing here?” her mom asked.
“Ah well, we just wanted to surprise you,” Star said innocently. “Surprise!”
“And you, Stony, what’s your story?” Nicole asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, you see,” Stony said, “I was just walking along when she grabbed me and pulled me into the bushes.”
“Hmm… I almost believe you,” she said. “So, what are you two really doing here?”
“Okay,” Star said, facing the whole group. “First of all, I want you to know that no one was ‘seriously’ hurt.”
“Really,” she said, in a serious tone. “Let’s get comfortable, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Once they found a nice, shady spot, Star began her story.
“Two days ago, early morning,” she began, “Kyron was up early for a hunt…”
“So,” she concluded, “when we get back to the village, just ignore the mess.”
“Thanks for coming out to warn us,” Vitto said. “That was a good thing to do.”
Looking at Bren and Cosette, who had been listening wide-eyed, Vitto said, “Don’t worry, you two, it isn’t like this all the time… though I don’t think you’re going to be bored.”
“Well, story time’s over,” Star said, reaching for her pack, “Let’s get you guys home.”